The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - June 6, 2024

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy folks, today is Thursday, June 6th, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans Assistant Editor Rob Lausches, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, State Representatives Brian Harrison, Nate Schatzlein, Tony Tinderholt, and Steve Toth are under investigation for campaigning against one or more of their colleagues. The group of four openly campaigned against multiple fellow House members during the primary and runoff elections, including Speaker Dade Phelan. Many of the campaigns were successful, as 15 House Republican incumbents were unseated. Those actions are violations of the Texas House Republican Caucus bylaws, which read in part, A member of the caucus shall not financially support an opponent of another member in any campaign or election between the opponent and the other member, and a member of the caucus shall not participate or

Starting point is 00:01:05 assist in the campaign of an opponent against another member of the caucus. Also, Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson has issued guidance on protecting the privacy of ballots, following the story broken by Current Revolt about ballots being obtainable. Nelson's letter advises, quote, the general custodian of came out with a ruling on this ballot secrecy issue that states, quote, Next, two professors from the University of Texas at Austin have joined a state lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education and its officials to prevent the implementation of new Title IX regulations scheduled to take effect this summer, Daniel A. Bonavak and John Houtfield have joined in the lawsuit that is requesting the

Starting point is 00:02:11 court to delay and ultimately invalidate the new Title IX regulations, claiming they are unlawful, exceed statutory authority, and are arbitrary and capricious. The state also seeks a judgment declaring that Texas can continue to receive Title IX funding without adhering to these new requirements, along with injunctive relief preventing their enforcement against Texas. The lawsuit characterizes the Title IX rule change as putting, quote, Texas schools in a no-win situation, where adherence to the Constitution risks the loss of federal funds,

Starting point is 00:02:45 but students and faculty risk having their futures upended merely for refusing to go along with the Biden administration's radical social agenda. In other news, Fort Worth Independent School District has shifted directions with its financial plans for the new school year. The school board decided that it will not be consolidating seven of its middle schools into three. The district originally presented the consolidation plan in April, describing it to the public in a series of meetings. The plan was developed in response to a combination of declining enrollment and maintenance needs. During the May 14th school board meeting, the board disclosed that it theoretically would be more cost-efficient to consolidate schools rather than use the part of the district's $1.2 billion 2021 school bond that was allocated to renovations to renovate every middle school that needed work,

Starting point is 00:03:36 which would cost at least $130 million. Also, as police departments across the state grapple with staffing shortages, many agencies are turning to technology to assist with crime-fighting. But some of the new tools are surveilling and collecting data in a way that critics say violates the constitutional rights of citizens. Cities large and small across Texas are increasingly installing automatic license plate readers, cameras that capture the license plate number and location of each vehicle that passes by. Police may then compare the plates to those

Starting point is 00:04:10 sought in relation to stolen vehicles, missing children, or other crimes. Many departments have touted the efficacy of the technology in solving cases, such as the high-profile murder of a Houston-area teacher last year. Last but not least, Elon Musk made history once again early Thursday morning when the fourth flight of the Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket, together known simply as Starship, saw the first successful safe return of the world's largest rocket to Earth. The three previous Starships exploded at various stages after takeoff. The fourth flight of Starship represents a major milestone for Musk's company SpaceX,

Starting point is 00:04:57 which is developing the spaceship for the purpose of having a reusable vehicle capable of performing interplanetary travel. Thanks for listening. To support The Texan, please be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - June 6, 2024

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